The events of 9/11 have made the need for mental health awareness more apparent than ever before. Awareness means recognizing that people not only need to be mentally healthy but that they need to be able to recognize the difference between the lack of mental health and the process of creating mental health.

Our society, already stressed over inter- and intrapersonal issues, would benefit from an awareness of mental health. Cultivating this awareness could help people avoid the consequences of untreated anxiety, untreated depression, and physical deterioration.

The clearer a person’s thought process is, the more opportunity he or she has to deal with and grow beyond the stresses. The process thus shifts from coping with stress to transcending stress. As mental health professionals, focusing on mental health awareness with our clients can help them transform their perception of emotional deprivation and vulnerability into a perception of emotional prosperity and effectiveness.

This focus on promoting mental health awareness could take the form of a U.S. postage stamp. Every U.S. citizen would benefit from this gentle reminder as they mail their letters. The thrust would be exactly the opposite of fighting mental illness; the stamp would emphasize the positive, progressive nature of recognizing and promoting mental health.

Proposals for a new U.S. postage stamp are considered by the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC), whose members are appointed by the Postmaster General. This committee receives thousands of requests for new stamps each year. Therefore, it is more likely to respond positively to requests with inherent meaning and significance to the public and to those proposals that have strong public support.

Every member of AMHCA is invited to become a part of this national public support by gathering signatures on the petition below urging the CSAC to approve issuing a stamp for Mental Health Awareness. Please cut out the petition form, copy it, and circulate these copies to family, friends, and business associates. You may want to ask businesses and corporations in your area to circulate copies to their branch offices or point-of-sale locations. Use your imagination as to how to secure the maximum number of signatures. Soliciting signatures from clients may seem an appealing way to gather signatures, but could create an ethical conflict. AMHCA does not recommend doing this.

When you have a number of petitions signed, please mail them to: AMHCA, Suite 304, 801 North Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA 22314.

AMHCA will forward the petitions to the CSAC, which should be impressed with the support this stamp project receives nationwide.

You have a wonderful opportunity for gaining a great sense of accomplishment by promoting this project concerning the core of your professional life: good mental health.

Frank Hannah, MS, LMHC, Chair, and Wayne Meyerowitz, MD, LMHC, Assistant Chair, Public Awareness Committee